May 4, 2011

The Open Journal: "Timid discussions started"

Second day:

Today was a long day for me. The jet lag is affecting me especially during morning time. Anyway I had to wake up early in the morning to move my things into another student’s residences, with I have to say, is thousands times better than the first one, so I am more comfortable now staying in a better, light and clean space.

Arriving the Institute, all local people were complaining because of the results of the Canadian elections. The conservative parties unfortunately achieved an absolutely majority.

Before starting with the agenda, we were also talking about how can people just celebrate somebody’s assassination, regarding all things that have been happen since last 1st of may when Osama Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan.

At the WHRI – Women’s Human Rights Education Institute we started today with a test that it was pretending not to be one but at the end it definitely was. Angela says that is just for measure all the information we know. We will get the answers back at the end of the program for comparing our improvement in the important discussions that will take place for the next six weeks.

During morning we were more talking, and even creating all our rules, more than really being focus on other matters. However, all contributions were really important and will positively help to maintain some order in terms of tolerance about differing ways of thinking and interventions of the participants.

In the second part of the day, Alda Facio made a presentation about “The Role of NGOs in the protection of Human Rights” which are also named as Civil Society Organization. Discussions about this matter were more focus about the history of NGOs within the UN especially focus in women’s struggles, but also some problems concerning their agendas and the way of management of financial resources. Some of the conclusions are that we probably need to know NGO’s mandates in the way to make better alliances that are absolutely necessary. Probably is better written in my “secret journal” and also I think it will be just very useful for indigenous women to make some exercises on the way of working with big NGOs in terms of mutual respect and full involvement of our issues and struggles.

We ended the day with a small reception full of delicious food.

Finally I moved into another place which is absolutely full of light, and good vibrations. Definitely I will not recommend Tartu College Residence to stay in this sordid place, for someone who is planning to come to Toronto. (I hope this means what I want to say).

As a final point, I have to say that I only had the time to talk with just another woman, for knowing a bit more about her story, and here it is:

Celine Osukwu

She is from Nigeria.

Celine Osukwu

She got the information for doing this program at the Women’s Human Rights Education Institute – WHRI from the network “Women United Nations Reform” where she is working right now. She is also working at “Human Rights Committee for Defense of Human Rights”.

We had a little talked about the current political situation in Nigeria, where just last 26th of April, the general elections, which started on 9th of April, ended. All politicians representatives, including the president, were elected during this period. She consider the new president “Dr. Good Luck Johnathan”, from the PDP-Peoples Democratic Parties, which is the largest parties, as a man who has the capacity for changing things. People voted him not because of his party but his personality and charisma. “People have hopes because of his level of education and background”, she said. “Women and vulnerable groups have hopes in this new government”.

Regarding her expectations about the opportunity to be attending the Session at the WHRI at the Toronto University, she expect to be empowerd to go back and train women of her organization, and other networks on human rights and women’s rights.

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comentarios:

Tayakay - Esta soy yo

Entonces sabrá que me llamo Wayunkerra y que fui la primera mujer wayuu hecha de barro por las hijas de la tierra.
Then will know that my name is Wayunkerra and that I was the first Wayuu woman made of mud by the daughters of the Earth.